Antislipping means



May 6 1924.

L. T. CARTER ET AL ANTISLIPPING MEANS Filed Dec. 30. 1922 m% r r mm 7 L atented May 6, 1924.

EUTHER T. CARTER WILLIAM J. CARTER, OF CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.

AN TISLIPQPIN G MEANS.

Application filed December 30, 1922. Serial No. 609,846.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LUTHER T. CARTER and lVILLIAM J. CARTER, citizens of the United States, both residing at Charlotte, in the county of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina, have invented certa n new and useful Improvements in Antishppmg Means, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in anti-slipping devices adapted to be used n connection with shoes havingheels, and 1t is intended to provide an arrangement which will enable the user to plant 1118 foot with the heel portion firmly protected against slipping, and yet to permit the far greater portion of the foot pro ect1ng forwards to have the utmost freedom of movement.

Our invention is intended more especially for use by workmen whose duties requlre them to work on roofs, or inclined grades of any kind, or on the tops of freight cars,

7 or platforms, which may or may not be slippery with water, grease or the like, and may also be coated with ice or snow,

The invention is more than an ordinary ice creeper, in that it is intended for a much greater variety of uses than the mere preventing of the party wearing the same from slipping on the ice or snow.

Our invention will be more fully understood after reference to the accompanyin drawings, in which like parts are indicate 1 by similar reference symbols throughout the several views, and-in which Figure 1 shows the bottom of the attachment with the attaching straps broken away and the sole of the shoe of the wearer shown in dotted lines.

Figure 2 shows a side elevation of the device with the fastening straps buckled in place, and with the shoe of the wearer indicated in dotted lines; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the device detached from the shoe.

The device should preferably be made in rights and lefts to fit shoes of different styles and sizes, but for purposes of explanation it will-be sufficient to describe a single one of the devices only, such as is shown iii-the drawings, in which 1 represents a cupshaped heel guard, having a socket 2 into which the usual heel-of the'shoe projects, as

shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This heel guard has a forward projecting tongue 3 avoiding the slipping forward of the dperadapted to fit under the shank of the shoe, but is not fastened thereto in any way. The bottom 4 of. the heel guard is provided with spikes 5 which may be made integral with the guard, or separately secured thereto, as preferred. In the latter case the spikes might be made of hardened steel. The tongue 3 may also be provided with spikes 6.

At each side of the heel guard we provide ply engaged in the socket, and the straps 8- and 10 are brought into enga ement and buckled as shown in Fig. 2, thus iolding the heel of the shoe firmly engaged in the socket 2 referred to, and preventing the heel from any substantial movement either laterally or longitudinally in said socket; but at the same time permitting the forward portion of the foot to be freely moved upwards or laterally as far as the normal construction of the shoe 12 will permit.

. It will be noted that the device consists merely of a heel portion and a tongue 3 to fit beneath the shank of the shoe, but otherwise the shoe is unimpeded and the sole 13 of the shoe comes directly in contact with the ground so that the feel of the shoe and the ease of walking, without incumbrance with bulky parts, is preserved. The desirable features of a creeper are secured without the wearer being particularly aware of the presence of the device. The flanges of the heel socket combined with the strap enable the device to be held comfortably and securely upon the shoe. The tongue 3 at its forward edge forms a sharp projection for son, and the calks 6 which are just behin the forward edge serve to engage the ground at all timesand hold the free edge of the tongue well up a ainst the shoe to prevent tripping.

It will e seen that the wearer of a device of this kind may conveniently and safely climb ladders, tread of roofs, or other inclined surfaces, and walk on tops of cars or platforms, irrespective of whether these are naturally slippery, or slippery from being 8 the spikes both beneath the heel and beneath the forwardly projectin tongue 3, as shown.

We have described t e invention as embodied in its preferred form, but it will be obvious that various modifications might be 10 made in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts which would be used without departing from the spirit of our invention; and we do not mean to limit the invention to such details except as particularly 15 pointed out in the claim.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is Anti-slipping means for use in conjunc- 20 tion with a shoe com rising a substantially cup-shaped heel guar having a base plate to fit beneath the heel and a lateral flange fitting about the side and rear portion of the counter of the shoe, said socket also having a wall extending up in front of the heel of the shoe, a tongue projecting forwardly from the upper portion of this wall and conforming to the shape of the shank of the shoe and adapted to lie in close contact therewith, said tongue terminating at its forward end substantially with the front portion of the shoe shank and having its forward free and lower edge ada ted to encounter thewalking surface, cal s on the tongue lying just back of the forward free edge thereof and adapted to strike the ground and hold the tongue at all times agalnst the shank of the shoe at its forward, free and unattached edge, calks beneath the base plate of the heel guard, "and means extending about the foot and connecting with the flange of the heel guard.

LUTHER T. CARTER. WILLIAM J. CARTER. 

